“Durnan cannot possibly be human. He’s owned the Yawning Portal for more years than most of us can remember, and he’s always the only one behind the bar. Between the trying-too-hard bards and the brawling barbarians and the clerics that come in on a mission to save us from ourselves, I don’t know how he does it.” I winked and waved the two good fingers on my left hand at the old coot, and in a short moment Durnan slid two potent mugs of bitter down the bar. Placing my coin on the bar top, I continued: “He knows things. Seen things. When he talks, you would do well to shut your maw and listen carefully. He owes allegiance to noone, and yet everyone comes in here like it’s neutral ground. Even the old paladins don’t achieve that level of respect.” I paused and took a long draw. “He told me early on that my eagerness would cost me dearly, that I would get in over my head because I wasn’t careful – and sure enough, I did. Cost me a couple fingers and a handful of friends – see what I did there? – but I learned that sometimes there are wiser minds than my own. Stay awhile, and listen…” I don’t know if the group of adventurers listened like I wanted them to, but I know that when Durnan came over mid-story and admonished them about their behavior they sat right down and got quiet. I was trying to tell them of the story of Skull Hill out in the High Moor; how it only appears during the total eclipse of the first blood moon of the season, of how it is always deathly silent, of how it was filled with traps beyond reckoning, and of how I entered that unholy place once many years ago only to see my friends get consumed by the traps and unknowable dark magic contained inside. I fear, though, that they only heard “evil lich”, “lair”, “treasure”, and “unexplored” as I spoke. Despite the warnings delivered by both myself and old Durnan, they seemed positively giddy as they paid their tab (and mine, as Durnan slyly added my drinks to theirs). As he had once told me, I knew that their eagerness would get them injured – or...

I limped away from the cloud of dust and debris that had formerly been a Thayan stronghold, and for what felt like the millionth time I assured myself that I would never again interfere in the affairs of the dread Red Wizards. Their Doomvault was gone and yet somehow I knew that no amount of therapy (short of, perhaps, a potent remove curse spell from a friendly wizard) would ever erase those memories from my mind. Little did I know that that my next adventure was much closer than I expected. Not even a full tenday after my horrific ordeal I would hear opportunity knocking upon my door once more. I had slumped into a somewhat-soggy and oversized chair in the Laughing Goblin in Phlan when I overheard a group of Zhentish mercenaries loudly calling out to each other with what they would do with “the giant’s loot”. I listened intently – we all did, really, as the Zhents were thoroughly inebriated and were making no indication of hiding this information – as they spoke in great (if slurred) detail about the steading of the Hill Giant Chief, and how they would be striking out along the road in the morning. The halls of the giants were nestled in the Galena Mountains, which were visible along the horizon far to the east. The group of hooligans and thugs eventually succumbed to the drink and passed out, and only a few moments passed before I felt the point of a dagger at my ribs and heard a gruff “Dove, you will come with me if you want to survive to see the dawn.” I know Harper code when I hear it, and I know many of the operatives in that esteemed organization. Those Who Harp are not as secret as they pretend to be, but this musky half-orc was new to me. Whether he was indeed a Harper or simply pretending I could not be certain, but he introduced himself and ushered me outside where he hurriedly assembled gear on his horse while explaining that the giants had “significant plans” underway and that there was “a dangerous game to play”. He grinned at first, but that became a scowl when he realized that I had not made any indication of taking to horseback myself. After a long moment...

“Durnan cannot possibly be human. He’s owned the Yawning Portal for more years than most of us can remember, and he’s always the only one behind the bar. Between the trying-too-hard bards and the brawling barbarians and the clerics that come in on a mission to save us from ourselves, I don’t know how he does it.” I winked and waved the two good fingers on my left hand at the old coot,...

I limped away from the cloud of dust and debris that had formerly been a Thayan stronghold, and for what felt like the millionth time I assured myself that I would never again interfere in the affairs of the dread Red Wizards. Their Doomvault was gone and yet somehow I knew that no amount of therapy (short of, perhaps, a potent remove curse spell from a friendly wizard) would ever erase those memories from...

This world is full of dangers and treasures, stories that are just waiting to be told and legends that want to be created. There are days where the Yawning Portal is home to all of these, and then there are days like this one. Today, a bald and robed man entered the tavern just prior to lunch time. His face was a mass of scars and his mouth was little more than an angry slash across his face, but his coin...

The Crypt of the Death Giants, an adventure loosely linked to the Against the Giants adventure in the Tales from the Yawning Portal is now available on the DMsGuild. Play this short adventure after you defeat the giants in Against the Giants. And don’t forget, the week of Wednesday, July 5th-11th and July 19th-25th, The Crypt of the Death Giants is the Quest of the Week. When you participate in the #DMQuests and run the Quest of the...

This article assumes that the characters are not using DDAL06-02 The Redemption of Kelvan as their hook into the White Plume Mountain adventure. Although that adventure is the intended path to get characters involved, the following text can serve as a secondary route to get them here! “There is something about the North, I think.” I read the broadsheet from Neverwinter again. The headline was in large...

The Redemption of Kelvan, an adventure linked to the White Plume Mountain adventure in the Tales from the Yawning Portal is now available on the DMsGuild. Play this short adventure before you delve into the White Plume Mountain. And don’t forget, starting Wednesday, June 7th, The Redemption of Kelvan is the Quest of the Week. When you participate in the #DMQuests and run the Quest of the Week adventure, you get to double your DM...